By Dave Dyer
Eagle-Tribune Writer
HAVERHILL -- After struggling through much of his first complete season in the minor leagues, Haverhill's Carlos Pena appears to have turned the corner.
Playing for the Texas Rangers' top Class A farm team, the Charlotte Rangers in Port Charlotte, Fla., Pena came on like gangbusters as his team made a late-season bid to reach the .500 mark.
Pena, the Rangers' first-round draft pick in 1998, hit a tailspin about a third of the way through the season. Baffled by off-speed and breaking pitches, his average dipped into the .240s while his strikeouts mounted.
But, after some midseason adjustments, he began striking out less and his average started to climb. Then, with an impressive 9-of-19 performance in the last week of the season, it took a nice leap to finish at .258.
Run production was not a problem for Pena even when his average was dipping. But he really shined in that department during his late spurt, knocking in 10 runs in his last 10 games.
That gave Pena 103 RBI for the year (135 games), which was second in the Florida State League. He also had 18 home runs and 31 doubles, which were both team highs, and an intriguing eight triples.
''I really feel good about the RBI,'' said Pena during a brief rest before heading to Fort Myers, Fla. for the Rangers' Instructional League. ''I was hoping to get to 100. It's a nice number.''
Pena was in an upbeat mood last week as he started preparing for his second Instructional League, starting Sept. 20. That will probably be followed by a winter ball stint in his native Dominican Republic, where the competition -- consisting of many major leaguers -- will be stiff.
''Looking back, I wouldn't change anything about the season,'' said Pena. ''I think I struck out a lot (133 times) for a reason and I had to figure out what to do about it.
''All my life I've pulled the ball all the time. I could just wait for an inside pitch and pull it. But I found out here that they could throw curveballs outside all day long.
''I had to learn to hit the ball where it was pitched and that helped me a lot. I started hitting the ball to all fields and I started hitting lefties better. I still pull the ball but only when the pitch calls for it.
''If I hadn't had a problem, I wouldn't have made the adjustments. That's why I think I'll get more out of the Instructional League this year. I have a better understanding of what I have to do.''
The Rangers certainly have no complaints with Pena's season.
''He made some adjustments and came on strong,'' said Director of Scouting Chuck McMichael. ''You have to remember that he came from a cold climate area and played at Northeastern, which is not in a major, major conference.
''We're very satisfied with his progress. I think the general public sees a high draft pick and thinks they'll breeze right through the system to the majors. That's so far from the norm -- it rarely happens.''
Pena's renewed enthusiasm seems to have compensated for his fatigue, which is natural after playing summer ball in Florida.
He's hoping that his break will give him enough rest so that he can head to Santo Domingo to play for the Licey team following his five weeks in the Instructional League.
''That will be very big,'' said his father, Felipe.
Playing in the rugged Dominican league would be excellent experience, but it would also be a happy reunion for the Pena family, which has many relatives and friends there. There would surely be a major celebration when Carlos arrives.
The Dominican season runs from the last week in October until February. He has all the papers and connections set to play, barring something unforeseen happening in the meantime.
Young suffers a tired arm
After a fast start, West Newbury's Colin Young faded a bit for the Class A Portland Rockies in the Pacific Coast League.
A regular starter when the short season started, Young -- the ninth-round pick of the Colorado Rockies -- pitched extremely well at first. But he had a couple of rough outings in midseason and was sent to the bullpen with a tired arm.
Nevertheless, Young's 2-5 record and 4.88 ERA are misleading. He remained one of the league leaders in strikeouts with 74 in 59 innings and his opponents' batting average was only .259.
Moreover, the Rockies remain high on him. He is scheduled to report to the Instructional League in Tucson, Ariz., on Sept. 15.
